Steve Spielmann's TN Thread

[Steven Spielmann]

I have wanted to share wine notes with people on the internet for a while, and the usual outlets are unsatisfactory for a variety of reasons. This seems a singularly erudite, if occasionally crabbed and vituperative, group of interlocutors, and so Ill try posting a thread here. I hope to share experiences with and learn from you all.

Tonights wine was the Maison Anselmet Petit Rouge 2006, from the Vallee dAoste. It weighs in at 12.5% alcohol and is imported into the US by Small Vineyards LLC in Seattle. By analogy, I wrote that it was like Loire gamay with rich, rich Fleurie berry overtones and a little bit of Italianate bitterness on the finish. It is a higher altitude wine (3000 feet) and only 350 cases were produced. Plenty of sediment in the bottle upon finishing. Petit Rouge is a distinct varietal but it is a worthy fruit, almost indistinguishable from gamay until you get to the midpalate and finish I would seek this grape out again. This is competently produced and shows its terroir, along with a little bit of crushed crystal and a transparency which becomes all the more delightful when accompanied by the rich berry smells and tastes it offers. It has a lingering if straightforward finish and I was a bit sad when the caf corretto came after dinner, since I knew that would be the end of it.

 

[Rahsaan]

originally posted by Steven Spielmann: the usual outlets are unsatisfactory for a variety of reasons.

What are the usual outlets if not Disorder!?

I was a bit sad when the caf corretto came after dinner, since I knew that would be the end of it.

You could always omit the coffee and go straight for the grappa. That is what I do. Easier to return to the wine that way.

 

[Steven Spielmann]

What are the usual outlets if not Disorder!?

Oh, you know, cellartracker, snooth, cork'd, also that word bubble one...the ones that show up first when you google new wines, I guess.

You could always omit the coffee and go straight for the grappa. That is what I do. Easier to return to the wine that way.

Sage advice. But I'm trying to get some work done, which required mixing a little coffee with the grappa, and no second bottle.

 

[MarkS]

... I wrote that it was like Loire gamay with rich, rich Fleurie berry overtones and a little bit of Italianate bitterness on the finish.

pretty similar notes to a Les Cretes petite rouge i had.

Welcome aboard, refugee.

 

[Rahsaan]

originally posted by Steven Spielmann:
Oh, you know, cellartracker, snooth, cork'd, also that word bubble one...

Wow. The wine internet sure is multiplying.

I'm trying to get some work done, which required mixing a little coffee with the grappa, and no second bottle.

Oh yes, I definitely understand that.

My need to get work done leads to all too many nights without either wine or grappa. Or coffee. But I never drink coffee, so...

 

[Chris Coad]

O hai!

I believe "a singularly erudite, if occasionally crabbed and vituperative, group of interlocutors" is on the masthead. Or if it isn't, it should be.

 

[Steven Spielmann]

Thanks for the warm welcomes!

I'll check in again soon.

 

[Thor]

Sorry for being crabbed and vituperative, but:

"variety"

 

[Chris Coad]

Well played.

 

[Florida Jim]

originally posted by Steven Spielmann:
This seems a singularly erudite, if occasionally crabbed and vituperative, group of interlocutors, and so Ill try posting a thread here.

Goodness, someone who actually read what goes on here before they decided to post. How extraordinary!
Welcome.
Best, Jim

 

[Jeff Grossman]

So, we're the forum of last resort, eh?

Where's that monkey? He's never around when there's a newbie to torment....

 

[Jeff Grossman]

I like Les Cretes Vdt "Coteau la Tour" for much the same reason: although it is actually syrah, it comes from way up high on the mountains, and it tastes like cru beaujolais -- no funk but crisp and clean and pure. Great stuff. Don't see it around much, though.

 

[Yixin]

Only thing worse than an alliterative name is a half-alliterative one. How much are you paying for your shrink?

Welcome to Disorder!

 

[Kay Bixler]

Wait, how do we know this isn't just another Brad Kane alt? I mean besides the big words and charming subject wine.

KAAAAANNNE!!!

 

[Dave Nelson]

That wine sounds very much worth a shot. Thanks for jumping into the fray.

Cheers,

Dave

 

[Brad Kane]

originally posted by Kay Bixler:
Wait, how do we know this isn't just another Brad Kane alt? I mean besides the big words and charming subject wine.

KAAAAANNNE!!!

WTF? I dumb things down for you morons.

 

[Steven Spielmann]

Har. You folks are great.

You're not the 'forum of last resort', it's just not as easy to find you randomly googling around. But you all had me at "thin, sour, acidic wines made by hippies dancing naked in the moonlight."

Is 'varietal' a corrupt neologism?

I'll have to keep an eye out for these 'Les Cretes' wines. They sound yummy.

I used to pay a lot for my therapist, but now that money pays for day care instead. I could cut back on wine buying instead, I suppose, but priorities are priorities.

 

[Jeff Grossman]

A varietal is a wine made of grapes all of which are one variety.

 

[VLM]

originally posted by Jeff Grossman:
A varietal is a wine made of grapes all of which are one variety.

Damn right. Fuck you newbie!

 

[Steven Spielmann]

Last night, going over to the house of some friends who are not wine people for pizza, I brought along the 2007 Seghesio Sonoma Zinfandel, which the relentless propaganda efforts of Wine Spectator and a lack of other interesting choices at a local grocery store led me to purchase. This is a big dark wine with 15.5% alcohol providing some sweetness to balance the hugely spikey and spicey palate. It is not disgustingly overextracted and doesn't have that 'puke' smell I get in some bigger California wines, or maybe only a touch of it after it's been open for a while. In fact, I'd go so far as to say it's pretty well balanced in terms of its flavor components, though the alcohol is somewhat obtrusive. Its color and spikey brambly fairy oil remind me of Dmitry Medvedev's favorite band, Deep Purple. This is a very typical Zin both on the nose and on the palate - I didn't get a lot of complexity so much as a strong and competent realization of the flavors one normally expects. This is not a bad wine and I could be tempted into trying other bottles from the same producer, but I doubt I'll seek this out again - too much else to try and enjoy.

I should add that the non-wine-obsessed people at the party really enjoyed this. Big and not-unbalanced flavors with pizza for the win, I guess.

Question: if I tend to prefer a semi-restrained traditional Zinfandel (say Nalle or Frog's Leap), are there any California producers selling a high-quality product for say $15? There are many good choices in the high twenties and thirties, but I haven't had so much luck at the lower end lately.